1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to information systems. More particularly, the invention relates to multimedia search and indexing systems for automatic event selection for replay using audio cues and signal threshold levels.
2. Description of Prior Art
In managing intellectual property assets for maximum return, it is common in the media industry to re-purpose assets, particularly video and sound recording assets, in whole or in part, into other products. An example of a re-purposed asset would be, for example, a video recording of a sporting event shown on television; a portion later included in a commercial; and multiple clips used for news or highlight recaps of the event as well as in a CD-ROM game. Given the need to maximize asset return, the content owner is faced with the problem of finding the desired sections of video or audio materials within a given asset or assets. This is the case whether the asset is stored in a computer system or on traditional analog media such as magnetic tape or film. The state of the art for identifying events for re-purposing is automatic scene change detection. This technology identifies the first frame of a scene that is dramatically different than the preceding scene. However, changes of scene may not be well correlated with the section of media that is desired for re-purposing. For example, in a fast moving game like hockey, the events, such as a goal scored or goal missed, or a key player returning to the ice, may not constitute a change of scene.
What is needed is a mechanism for automating the selection of scenes of interest in an event in one context for re-purposing in another context in which the selected events correlate with the scenes and sounds and context of another media product.
Prior art related to re-purposing intellectual property includes the following:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,021 issued Jan. 18, 1998 and filed Sep. 14, 1995, discloses a multimedia system which facilitates searching for a portion of sequential data. The system displays neighboring data depending on a requirement when displaying the portion of the data. A view object management means searches view objects stored in a view object storage means depending on a specification of features of a portion of that data. A display/reproduction means displays and reproduces a portion of data corresponding to the view searched by the view object means.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,032 issued Mar. 18, 1997, and filed Sep. 2, 1994, discloses a system for recording and playing back multimedia events and includes recording sources, a preprocessor, a delivery processor, and user control units. The system records and plays back multimedia events which entails capturing tracks of various aspects of a multimedia event; coding the tracks into digitized blocks; time stamping each block; and compressing and pre-processing each track as instructed in a source mapping tables; transmitting tracks of the multimedia event to the user as requested; and adjusting the delivery track based upon relative time information associated with the new position established after search through a track of the multimedia event.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,621,658 issued Apr. 15, 1997, and filed Jul. 13, 1993, discloses communicating an electronic action from a data processing system via an audio device. At the sending data processing system, an action is converted to a pre-determined audio pattern. The action may be combined with text converted into an audio message and contained in an electronic mail object. The audio patterns are then communicated to the audio device over telephone lines or other communication means. At the receiving end, the audio device records the object. A user can provide the recorded object to a data processing system which then executes the action and converts the text audio patterns back to text. In addition, the action can be converted to text and displayed on the data processing system.
None of the prior art discloses re-purposing intellectual property, e.g., video and sound, in which certain events or sound in one context are automatically selected for use in or with another context, where the selected events correlate with the scenes and sounds in or with the other context.